I am approaching my 18th Birthday and I've been trying to convince myself to get the courage to perform on stage. I have been on this website since I was 15 and been trying to write since I was 13. I think I am ready to perform.
I guess the question I am asking is when will I know I am ready to perform?
You are ready to perform when you think you are. The difficulty is that young comedians tend to be given a hard time.
You're ready.
You know you are and you just want affirmation.
Well, you've got it.
If you want us to critique you and show you some pointers then see if you can film some of your open-mic spots (a good place to start, I'm sure you know) and we'll be happy to take a look.
You're not going to be Lee Evans right out of the gate.
You'll learn, grow and mature the more you perform so I say get out there and do it. Do-OOO-ooo it!
If you can perform comedy to an audience of strangers without getting boo'd off, you're ready.
Notice I say 'an' audience: you don't have to do well in front of every audience. Just find an audience that likes you and stick to that kind of audience until you gain experience.
You might be wise to start with a teenage audience and, no matter who you perform to, you'd be wise to stick to teenage topics during your set because - believe me - you know sweet FUCK ALL about life outside childhood.
Good luck!
Just get it over and done with, people will laugh or they won't.
It may well have nothing to do with whether your funny or not.
It's like sex, you're performing for 5 minutes you might get a laugh and it probably won't kill you.
Unless you're a male preying mantis in which case it probably will.
Shagging that is, not sure about mantis's and stand up comedy.
I'd say go for it, the only way to find out if you're ready is by getting up on stage.
Have you ever been to an open mic night as an audience member? That could be a good way to see other new people so you know what to expect. Find a night with a supportive atmosphere, maybe even talk to a few of the acts and get tips. I've never seen an act get heckled without deserving it (picking on the audience is never a good idea, especially when they're mostly comedians who've been doing it longer than you).
Then again, if you wanted a softer approach you could sign up for a comedy course. I'd always wanted to give it a try but had a crippling fear of getting up on stage, so I took part in Logan Murray's course (and wrote about it for BCG here - https://www.comedy.co.uk/make_it/craig_beadle_standup_course_blog_part_1/).
The advantage of a course is that you get to meet other newbies, practice material in front of them rather than a "real" audience, and have a really supportive atmosphere at your first gig as they're all friends, family and well-wishers.
The disadvantage is you're paying money when you could be getting stage time for free instead. So if you've got the material and confidence, why not just give it a go?